<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>sitting by the fireplace by WisdomPearl</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24316849">sitting by the fireplace</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WisdomPearl/pseuds/WisdomPearl'>WisdomPearl</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Assassination Classroom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crying, Gen, Post-Canon, Reconciliation, sentimental feelings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 04:21:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,003</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24316849</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WisdomPearl/pseuds/WisdomPearl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Gakuho reminisces about the past and Gakushuu gets roped into the tornado of feelings.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>sitting by the fireplace</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>another old fanfic</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>{Third Person POV}</p><p>The crackling noise of the embers was so soothing, the sounds like music to the ears. The flipping of the book’s pages seemed to accompany it well, and Asano enjoyed it much. </p><p>The former principal was reading an opinion book about the American political system. He enjoyed how much the author went into depth, and of course, had his own thoughts about the matter, whether is correspond or go against the author’s perspective. Nevertheless, he respected the author and knew that he was in no position to judge them. </p><p>No position, Asano chuckled. That’s what the School Board had stated to him when he was forced to pack his bags and find another job. No position, no position in the Kunugigaoka system anymore. He no longer had authority over the students, whether they be A Class or E Class. </p><p>He shifted his position to a more comfortable spot on his chair and flipped the page again. The fire danced around inside the fireplace and he could almost sweat a bit. </p><p>Slam. “I’m home,”</p><p>”Ah, Asano. How were exams?”</p><p>”Naturally easy, father. Of course, I expected them to throw in thirteen trigonometry questions and three calculus ones, just like how they’ve done in the past, before you had altered them,”</p><p>”Ah, I see,” Of course, what had he expected? After what he had done, would they really use his teaching and testing methods? As if they wanted to use the principles and teachings of the infamous “Demon Principal”. No surprise there: it was just how the former principal had expected. </p><p>”Are you reading that book again? Father, I had thought you vowed never to read it again after getting sick of the States’ business. Isn’t that why you didn’t want to move there for work?”</p><p>Gakuho merely chuckled and kept reading, leaving his confused son to think about everything, “Have you changed your mind since back then?”</p><p>Another chuckle, “I don’t know actually,”</p><p>Gakushuu visibly flinched at his father’s words, gazing into the swirling flame. He doesn’t know? The powerful former principal doesn’t know?</p><p>”Ever since society rejected me as a whole, I began to ponder about the wonders of life, and I realized that no one person knows everything the world has to offer, and no one will ever,”</p><p>They were silent, the crackling of the old fire sounding throughout the room. Gakushuu spoke up, very softly yet distinctly, as if he had a gun to his head and someone asked for his last words, “You’re more philosophical than I recall,”</p><p>Gakuho chuckled, “I guess that’s how it is in life,” He smiled quite heartily, scaring them life out of Gakushuu, “Come, sit down, it must be cold outside,”</p><p>Without a word, the son sat down rather far from his own father. Gakuho respected this though, as he knew that their relationship wasn’t exactly the best. </p><p>”...father,”</p><p>”Hm?”</p><p>”The fire feels nice. Is it something new?”</p><p>Gakuho stared into the fire as if it was his masterpiece, “Oh, it’s just something I realized. Did you know the chimney is a real one? Never realized it until recently,”</p><p>Gakushuu relaxes his upright and sturdy position to comfortably lean into the back of the sofa, “That’s nice. We should do this more often, especially in the winter. Maybe not so much during the summer, haha,”</p><p>Gakuho looked at his son with wide eyes and a fixed gaze. </p><p>Did he just laugh?</p><p>Granted, Gakuho knew it wasn’t a very genuine laugh, more of a casual one used during speech. But it felt so real, and it felt so nostalgic, and as the embers escaped out into the stone floor of the fireplace, Gakuho could feel the memories flooding in, ironically. </p><p>”Mom! Look, Father lit a fire! In the firepl-firepla...,”</p><p>”Fireplace, sweetheart,”</p><p>”Come look! Father lit a fire in the fireplace!”</p><p>The smile in his memory faded, and so did his own. </p><p>Gakushuu stared at his father with wide eyes, again, “Father, first the American government book, then the fire, then your lack of knowledge, then your philosophical thinkings, and now you’re smiling?!” The strawberry blonde groaned, combing his hair with his fingers, “This is too much to take in at once,”</p><p>Gakuho could do nothing but chuckle heartily at his son’s distress. Old habits never die old. </p><p>The son stared into the fire with a longing gaze, “I remember telling Mother about the fireplace in the past,”</p><p>Gakuho looked up. Was it a coincidence? How could he remember something from such a long time ago? </p><p>A smile was displayed onto Gakushuu’s pale face, “I-I remember how loving and warm Mother was,” Gakuho’s heart pained as Gakushuu continued, “I also remember how happy you looked when Mother was here. I guess she’s almost like this fire, huh? So pretty, so warm, so loving, so graceful,”</p><p>”So fragile,”</p><p>In a flash, the book was left behind and Gakuho hugged his crying son, who didn’t struggle but only flinched. </p><p>Gakushu was a sobbing mess and Gakuho would probably soon follow, “I miss Mother, I miss her so much, I loved her so much, I miss her a lot, I-I—,”</p><p>”Shh, just cry. I saw you didn’t cry a lot during her funeral. What willpower you had back then, whatever, just let it out. I’ll be here,”</p><p>”Dad...,” Gakushuu was crying his ugly cry, “S-Since when did you become so sympathe-sympathetic?”</p><p>”I think it was around the time...,” Gakuho thought for a bit, “Around the time I realized I need to treat you more like a son,”</p><p>Gakushuu only sobbed louder, his naturally cool and composed façade melting away and his inner feelings spilled through his tears. There were so many that Gakuho thought it would soon put out the fire he so painstakingly brought into the world. </p><p>But as the moon waned and Gakushuu never moved at all, slumbering after the crying session, Gakuho knew that a fire would soon die, and that the son, his son, was all that mattered in the world to him.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>